Frozen peas (frozen corn kernels also work) as an ice pack

A bag of frozen peas or corn kernels is the best ice pack for bringing down (or preventing) swelling if you have your wisdom teeth removed or have dental or gum surgery. I kid you not. I got this hint from an anesthesiologist friend of mine, who got it from the wife of an oral surgeon. Both of my kids have used it when they had their wisdom teeth taken out and I used it last month when I had gum surgery.

Hold the bag of frozen vegetables on the affected cheek with a towel. If you get tired of holding it there, you can even secure the bag onto the side of your cheek with a long scarf wrapped around your head. (I have a vague memory of seeing an illustration in one of my favorite childhood books, Johnny Tremain, that a rag tied around the jaw was the Revolutionary War-era method for immobilizing a broken jaw. Ouch.)

The bag of frozen vegetables tied onto your cheek may look strange, but it is much more comfortable than ice cubes or other, stiff cold packs. The frozen vegetables mold to your face and do the job well. When you feel that they are no longer cold enough, put them back in the freezer to re-freeze and use another bag.

Ketchup as a non-toxic brass cleaner

Spread a thin layer on a brass object with a paper towel and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then scrub the ketchup on the brass object with a damp sponge or a clean rag. Wash the ketchup off with dish soap and dry the object, buffing it with a clean dish towel. Voilà as the French say – a much brighter bowl, candlestick, or brass thingamabob.

Peanut butter to remove adhesive residue left from labels

Spread a thin layer on a dry surface that has adhesive that you want to remove and let the peanut butter rest on the surface of the jar or bottle for 5-10 minutes. Then scrub it off, this time using a fingernail, brush, or scrubber to grab the adhesive and take it off. Clean the jar or bottle with hot soapy water. If not all the adhesive has come off, repeat the process.

I used a bottle and a jar. The jar had already gone through the dishwasher and its adhesive was recalcitrant. Although it took a bit of elbow grease and 2 applications of peanut butter, all of adhesive did come off.

Got any of your own weird uses for food? Leave a comment below or tweet them to me with the hashtag #WeirdFoodUses. Happy Friday!